The Doors Of '90s Perception
Ray Manzarek Talks About Morrison's Image and the Band's Continuing Appeal
By Jane Stevenson
Toronto Sun
Monday, December 1, 1997Don't even think about getting into a battle of the minds with Ray
Manzarek.
Because, as the 62-year-old keyboard player for seminal '60s rock
band The Doors says down the line from his Beverly Hills home: "You
want to play mind games with me? I was in a band called 'The Kings of
Acid Rock.' You're just lucky Jim Morrison's not around. I'm a pretty
straightforward guy, but Morrison would have destroyed your psyche."
Actually, Manzarek -- originally a classically trained blues fan from
Chicago before his fateful meeting with Doors frontman Morrison at
UCLA film school -- is relating a conversation with Oliver Stone, the
director of the much-maligned 1991 biopic The Doors.
But because Manzarek gives off such a playful vibe while discussing
The Doors' first-ever box set -- three CDs of previously unreleased
material and a fourth CD of band favorites -- it's hard to tell when
he's joking and when he's being serious.
Like when asked which singers today come close to possessing the same
wild, sexy stage presence of Morrison, Manzarek quickly offers up
U2's Bono.
Really?
"Well, I don't know. These are my answers," says Manazarek. "I can't
say, 'Nah, Jim -- no one could touch him.' You know what? Michael
Hutchence. Poor, late Michael Hutchence. I liked him very much. I
thought he was very good and I certainly liked the music that band
made; INXS was a very good band. What a tragedy. He was going to get
married and he was going on a tour and everything. Did you hear
anything about Prozac? Some people have said that Prozac is, for some
people -- very few -- a suicide drug."
Getting back to Stone's movie, Manzarek did withdraw his support
after the script depicted Morrison as an unreliable drunk instead of
the sensitive, funny poet Manzarek knew and loved. Drummer John
Densmore and guitarist Robbie Krieger, however, co-operated.
"Oliver Stone is a fool. Just think how bad it would have been had
John and Robbie not been there. "
The one good thing that came from Stone's film was yet another
resurgence in interest in The Doors, who have sold an astounding 40
million albums since Morrison died at age 27, from heart failure, in
a bathtub in Paris on July 3, 1971.
The band had its biggest sales in 1980 with the release of the
Morrison biography, No One Here Gets Out Alive.
It's that enduring appeal of The Doors -- who still average album
sales of one million a year -- that led to the recent release of the
box set, which sold 18,000 copies during its first week.
"We worked liked dogs for the entire year to get this thing together
for the fans," says Manzarek.
As for what keeps music buyers coming to pray at the altar of The
Doors -- and Morrison's Parisian gravesite in particular -- Manzarek
has a few theories.
"The Doors in person were a mystical, hypnotic group with a wild and
crazed lead singer dressed in black leather that was so sexy and
exciting that girls just went mad for him. They did. They offered
their bodies to him."
What about the rest of the band?
"No, just to Jim," says Manzarek. "I mean, we got a few body offers,
but not that many. They mainly wanted Mr. Leather. They just wanted
that leather. They wanted to wrap their legs around that leather-clad
torso. They did. What can I say? They had a desire for leather. Women
desire leather. I don't know why, but they like men in leather. I
could never figure out why a guy would want to wear leather. But in
Jim's case, I understood."
END.
Ananova/U2 World.com News
January 17 2001
Manzarek Hits Out At Bono Over Jim Morrison Tribute AlbumRay Manzarek has criticized Bono for snubbing the Jim Morrison
tribute album Stoned Immaculate.
U2 say their singer did not have time to take part as the
invitation came while they were recording their latest album All That You
Can't Leave Behind.
Stoned Immaculate comprises new material written by the three
remaining members of The Doors - keyboard player Manzarek,
guitarist Robbie Krieger and drummer John Densmore.
It also features John Lee Hooker, Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland,
The Cult's Ian Astbury and Bo Diddley.
Manzarek said: "Fine, we don't want you anyway, you're too old.
You've either got to be as old as John Lee Hooker or a young guy."
Source:
www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_177191.htmlNEWS - Doors closed for Bono
Yahoo UK News/Dot MusicWednesday January 17, 09:21 AM
Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek is reported to have claimed
that U2 frontman Bono "wasn't interested" in contributing to the
forthcoming Doors tribute album, 'Stoned Immaculate'.
Manzarek said of the artists who featured on the album: "It depended
on availability, who was in the country and who could make it to
Los Angeles, and who was interested.
"Bono wasn't interested so we said, 'Fine, we don't want you
anyway, you're too old.' You've either got to be as old as Johnny Lee
Hooker or a young guy."
'Stoned Immaculate' was recorded in honour of Jim Morrison, the
late Doors singer.
A number of artists appear on the album including Aerosmith,
Scott Stapp of Creed, Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots and the
Cult's Ian Astbury.
The latter two are also to record new material with the remaining
members of the Doors, as announced on dotmusic last week.
Source:
uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html? a=/dotmusic_news/17405.html&e=l_news
Premium Music.com
January 2001
Surviving Doors open to recording with Scott Weiland and Ian Astbury.Sixties band's keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, says he plans to write
new album with bandmate Robbie Krieger, Stone Temple Pilots, and Cult
frontmen. The Doors' recent appearance on "VH1 Storytellers," which
paired surviving members Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John
Densmore with singers such as Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland,
Creed's Scott Stapp, and Days of the New's Travis Meeks, may
yield a collaboration album of new material......U2's BONO has been
dismissed as "too old" by the 65-year-old former keyboard player of The
Doors.
Ray Manzarek made the comment after claiming that Bono "wasn't
interested" in contributing to the upcoming Doors tribute album, 'Stoned Immaculate'.
Source:http://www.premium-music.net/news_arc3.html
MANY CULT-LIKE DOORS FANS MIGHT NOT LIKE IT...
By: Jason Meltzer
Circa 2002
"Get Your On-Line Jargon" WebsiteMANY CULT-LIKE DOORS FANS MIGHT NOT LIKE IT...
.... however, the latest news is that a Doors reunion is going to
take place. Wait, how do you tour when your lead singer is dead?
Steal a singer off The Cult! Ian Astbury! Touring with The DOORS!
What the-!!
I don't know how SUCCESSFULLY you can rake in the dollars touring as
a band once your original lead singer is dead, but you could try
asking INXS who have been at it all summer. Seems rather lame to
me... I mean sure all those great songs go to waste once your front-
man passes away, but that's just the way it is. Until someone has
bills to pay, that is.
Egad!!! I don't see the remaining members of Nirvana getting together
to do tours without Kurt Cobain, but I suppose in ten years once no
one cares about the Foofighters it could happen. (Wait, who cares
about the Foofighters NOW?) Anyway, Courtney Love won't let that
happen. Not unless it fills her wallet and gets her face on a
shitload of magazines. But I digress...
Look, I use the Nirvana example because Kurt was special, he SPOKE to
a GENERATION. *MY* generation. I dare say that JIM MORRISON was at
LEAST as special as Kurt Cobain. What the Beat Generation of poets
did for jazz, Morrison did for rock. The Doors were like...
performance art... on stage. Morrison was a poet! Morrison was larger
than life to thousands! But Ian Astbury?!?! I can't even think of
another Cult song outside of She Sells Sanctuary, which is not even
the point.
According to the official Doors website,
"Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger announced plans for a Doors reunion
show Sept. 6 at the California Motor Speedway just outside LA County.
John Densmore is expected to participate but due to a health concern,
there is a possibility his doctors will forbid him from playing. In
that event, the Doors have already arranged for an alternate world
class drummer to fill in. Ian Astbury will handle the majority of the
lead vocals and there will be special guest vocalists and musicians
as well. With the exception of the rock and roll hall of fame
induction in 1972 and last years VH1 Storytellers special, the band
has not played in concert since they disbanded in 1973--in fact,
September 2, 1972 was their last concert so it's is almost 30 years
to the day.
"In Spring of 2003, the band will announce tour dates for the US and
Europe. After that tour it is expected the Doors will go into the
studio to record an album of new material. Already Robby, Ray and
John have been writing new songs."
Fine, write new songs and start an band called The Windows. But don't
bill yourself as The Doors. This reminds me when the Sex Pistols
toured without Sid. The thing is, Sid wasn't ever the bloke singing
the Pistols' songs! He wasn't even the original base player. We're
not talking about The Supremes here, people. This is The Doors! It's
just wrong.
If Bono died tommorrow, would you want U2 to tour without him in 30
years? Just ask yourself THAT. No, this is even more lame than that
Talking Heads album without David Byrne on it. "No Talking, Just
Head." Yeah, right. Give me break
Source:http://www.getyouroj.com/001main_oj_blog.html
Sleazegrinder.com - Flash Metal "Cult"Ian's been taking guff off that bigmouthed keyboard player, Ray Manzarek, who is even chumping him with the writing duties for the next Doors album, saying they prefer to utilize "American Poets" (McClure and Carroll) and longtime Cult followers are having a hard time understanding why Ian would wanna participate in this Doors 2000 karaoke shuck and jive. "Not the Lizard King But An Incredible Simulation!" I dunno what Ray pays, but shit, Ian, you are IAN ASTBURY, you don't need to lower yourself to doin' no tribute act to NOBODY- not even Mister Mojo Risin'....C'mon, man. THE CULT! Fuck the Doors Trib. Get Billy on the phone. I'll call 'im, if you need me to. Also rumour has it Ian's been dabbling with Trent Reznor on some collaboration. THE CULT, Ian. THE CULT.
-IAN ASTBURY NEEDS TO CONTACT HIS PSYCHIC FRIEND: Resurrection Joe, c/o the Sleazegrinder
www.sleazegrinder.com/flashmetalcult.htmCINCY METAL WITH ERIC JOHNSIan Astbury The Cult 8++ both live and in the studio. The Cult are
one of the great bands. I am not sure what Ian is thinking these
days trying to take Morrison's place in the Doors. I am sure he
sings it great, but it is sort of like trying to replace Hendrix in
the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It just should not be attempted.
www.cincymetal.com/eric.html
)